Ironic Ever After
by wigglesfunk
Summary: Lionel gets involved with Martha's happily ever after.
1. Chapter 1

_I can feel you all around me_

_Thickening the air I'm breathing_

_Holding on to what I'm feeling_

_Savoring this heart that's healing_

His world had shattered the day that she left him. Just like that she left, leaving him alone and utterly dazed. What went wrong? They had been in love, or so he thought. The engagement ring was there on her finger for the world to see. Then out of the blue she tells him that she met another man, that she loved _him_ instead. He could see it in her eyes, the love she had had for him was gone. He might have been able to accept it had it not been for the man she had left him for. That hurt more than anything. And the heart that she had been so lovingly and patiently putting back together, helping him to be a better person, was left to wither under the ice wall he had resumed building around it. She had tried to soften the blow that she was sure to come, but nothing could have prepared him for the pain.

_My hands float up above me_

_And you whisper you love me_

_And I begin to fade_

_Into our secret place_

Her decision to leave him had been as much of a surprise to her as it had been to him. One day she was happy in love, and the next she was madly in love with a complete stranger. She knew from the moment she saw him sitting next to that fountain she was meant to be with him. He offered her something that she had never expected to find in this life; a happily ever after. She broke one man's heart in exchange for the heart of happily ever after. The ironic thing was, happily ever after ended much too soon.

* * *

**Hope you're intrigued... Don't worry there's more to come. **

Lyrics by Flyleaf – _All __Around__ Me_


	2. Chapter 2

After all these years, she was still able to make his heart pound. He had, however, managed over the years to stop his hands from trembling. So it came as no surprise that his heart began to race when she opened the door and stood there in front of him.

"Martha." Lionel acknowledged with a subtle tilt of his head.

"Hi, come in please." She let him into her Washington apartment with a smile. "This is somewhat of a surprise. I wasn't expecting you until later."

"I wanted to come early because there is something that we need to talk about." His hands were sweating and he was sure she could hear his heart beating inside of his chest. This could either go really well, or it could go very badly. There was not going to be an in between. Once he laid the cards down there was no going back.

"This isn't such a good time Lionel." Martha began. She knew instinctively what he had come to talk about and, honestly, it frightened her.

"Too much time has gone by without us talking about it." Lionel replied in earnest. He noticed that she kept looking over her shoulders and knew her well enough to see that she was clearly nervous.

"Talk about what?"

"We both know what." Lionel responded softly.

"We had a deal; one that we both promised to keep forever."

"Yes, a deal that no longer has any relevance to our lives. I can't just sit around and pretend like we don't know each other any longer." Lionel spoke each word with stern conviction.

"No Lionel, it has every relevance to our lives. Maybe now more than ever."

Lionel ran his hand through his hair and paced a few steps before replying. "So Senator _Kent_ doesn't want her name to be tainted by that of Lionel Luthor."

Martha had been temporarily dazed when Lionel had run his hand through his hair. She hadn't seen him do it since that night so long ago. But when he had said Kent with such contempt she snapped to the present.

"I told you once that my position as Senator has nothing to do with us."

"Yes but that was when we were just friends. What if they knew the real truth Martha? What if Clark were to find out?"

"It doesn't matter because no one will ever know. Remember, you keep my secret and I keep yours." Martha said while looking him squarely in the eyes. It reminded Lionel of why he was so intrigued by this woman.

"My secret has already been exposed to the world. Yours, however, still-"

"Will not be exposed." Martha cut in firmly. "Lionel, I _really_ can't talk about this right now."

"I'm not going to give up Martha. One way or another we're going to talk about us." Lionel said.

Martha sighed and knew that he was telling the truth, that no matter what she did he would get his way. "Alright, later tonight we'll talk about it."

"Over dinner." Lionel added. He leaned in quickly and placed a lingering kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Until later."

With that he walked to the door and left. Martha followed and shut the door slowly, thinking over what just happened. She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear the footsteps approaching her.

"Mom?"

* * *

**Thanks for all the reviews! The next chapter will be up soon, hope you enjoyed.**


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

Lionel felt giddy as he got ready for his 'date' with Martha. He could only imagine how she was feeling. He truly didn't want to cause her any pain, but he was going to go insane if he had to spend one more day pretending to not know her. He would be lying if he said the prospect of telling the truth wasn't exciting to him.

At that very same moment, Martha was staring at herself in the mirror, trying not to have a full scale panic attack. She looked away but still couldn't get the image of Lionel out of her mind. Without realizing it she raised her hand and touched the corner of her mouth. She could still feel his lips as they brushed hers ever so softly.

Spritzing on his cologne, Lionel walked out of his room standing straight and confident. Tonight was the night; he could feel it. After his conversation with Martha earlier he was now sure that she wanted this as much as he did. She just didn't realize it yet.

Martha didn't want any of it. She pushed away from her vanity and stood, her body filled with a sudden resolution. She knew exactly what she'd do. It might not be the right thing, but she would do it regardless. For once she was going to be selfish and petty and maybe a touch cruel. Everything she wasn't.

Lionel gave his driver Martha's address and sat back, thinking of the best way to greet her when he got to her apartment. He felt himself start to smile and allowed it, having no will to stop this feeling of bliss he was experiencing. The possibility of publicly coming clean about their past together and the connection between them was intoxicating. Once she felt the same as he, she might come to realize that she still loved him.

Martha didn't want to love him again. Being in love with Lionel had felt like being in a prison. He could be controlling and borderline paranoid and his love itself felt stifling. She didn't realize it when she had been in love with him, but when she met Jonathon it opened her eyes to what love should feel like. After leaving Lionel she felt an overwhelming sense of relief, as though the world had been dropped from her shoulders. So she squared her shoulders once more and prepared to break the man's heart once again.


	4. Chapter 4

As Lionel's car rounded the corner, Martha slipped into the car she had rented, looking around to make sure nobody was watching. Already she was starting to develop the habits that Lionel had instilled in her back in college; the ones that Jonathon helped to get rid of.

_Lionel opened the door and she could already tell that he was angry. She thought back over what she had done earlier that day but couldn't think of anything that would cause him to be angry. _

_She barely __made it through the door__ before Lionel kissed her. He slammed the door shut behind her and __led__ her to his bedroom, never breaking the kiss. They stumbled into the bedroom and he finally __pulled away__ so he could make his way down her neck__. It was __eerie__ that __neither of them __had said __a__ word, but Martha's mind was so clouded with lust that she didn't think__ anything__ of it. _

_They started to strip one another but Martha wasn't fast enough for Lionel. __She could hear fabric tearing as he impatiently tossed her blouse to the floor. Sometimes it was worth getting him angry because the sex was always more intense and somewhat more satisfying.__ Sure there were a few ruined blouses, but Lionel always replaced them. She had no idea where he was getting all of his extra money lately and she was sure she didn't want to know._

_He thrust her onto the bed and pinned her on her back__. He made love to her then, and she knew that it wasn't just about sex. __This was about possession and in some sick way she thrilled at it. _

Martha shook her head at the memory and felt nauseous. She had been so clueless at the time; clueless and naïve. Lionel had made her feel wanted and protected. But after a while he began to get jealous whenever she happened to talk to another man. She, in turn, began to become paranoid herself.

She never knew if Lionel was watching or following her. She stopped hanging out with most of her male friends simply because she didn't want to argue with Lionel that she wasn't cheating on him. Anything from an innocent hug to a simple handshake from a man would send him into a jealous rage. However, she had been slowly teaching him to trust her and let her be independent.

Unfortunately for Lionel, Jonathon came along.


	5. Chapter 5

Lionel drummed his fingers nervously against his leg as he waited for the elevator to reach Martha's floor. How could it be that Lionel Luthor, multi-billionaire, was nervous about meeting one red headed woman?

Because she held his future in her hands.

The one thing that he had prided himself on was the fact that no one had any hold over him. Of course that was before he realized how much power Martha Kent had over him. He scowled at the use of her last name. It should have, and would have been, Luthor if not for that rube Jonathon Kent.

The elevator doors opened with a loud _ding_ and Lionel exited as fast as he could without actually running. He couldn't wait to see her and the thought that he had a whole night alone with her made his heart beat faster.

Knocking smartly on the door he was met with silence. Instantly he knew that she wasn't there and immediately he suspected she was with someone else. He forced himself to calm down and give her the benefit of the doubt. Unwillingly, however, he thought back to the time he had been enraged when he suspected her of cheating on him.

_He opened the door and saw her standing there with the cutest smile. Getting a look at his face the smile disappeared and a confused look came over her. __Earlier that day he had caught her hugging some man and Lionel then followed her the rest of the day. He hadn't witnessed anything else that was suspicious, but he was still angered that she hugged another man._

_He knew that she had no idea why he was angry, and that turned him on; the power he had over her. She didn't realize it, but he was finding that she was quickly invading every part of his life, his thoughts, and his __future plans__. That gave her more power over him than anyone else._

_The ironic thing was that he wanted to give her that power. He wanted to trust her, but he had learned to instinctively distrust everyone, especially women__; e__specially when it came to protecting his heart. _

_That's why he thrilled at the power he himself had over her._

_He kissed her then, slamming the door shut. He practically dragged her into the bedroom where he __stripped her and __made love to her, not saying one word the entire time.__ He demonstrated his possession over her by using sex. __This way he could maintain some power over her. It was sick but that's all he knew; power and greed. _

Lionel's mouth turned down in disgust when he thought back to how he had treated her. It wasn't hard to see why she had been attracted to the farmer, even though it made him sick to admit it.

But no matter, he would treat her the way she deserved to be treated. They were both adults now and he saw no reason why she was resisting the attraction they still had toward one another. She would come to realize that spending the rest of their lives together would be the happily ever after she had dreamt of.


	6. Chapter 6

Martha sat in front of the fireplace contemplating the direction her life had taken. Suddenly she was faced with the one thing she hoped to never encounter again.

Her love for Lionel.

It was true, some part of her still loved him and had always loved him. He was her equal and she his. She knew how much power she had over him and it honestly scared her. That sort of power tended to corrupt people. Maybe that was why she had fallen so deeply in love with Jonathon. He was pure and would never be tempted by thirst for power which consumed Lionel.

Her train of thought was broken when she heard footsteps on the front porch. They were too light to be Clark's and she knew that Lionel had found her. She braced herself for what lay ahead.

Lionel didn't bother to knock and so walked into the farmhouse unannounced. He found Martha sitting on the sofa watching the fire intently. He could tell by her tense posture that she knew it was him.

"Martha." He said gently as he sat next to her.

"Lionel." She greeted quietly. She refused to look at him, almost ashamed that she had run away from the very conversation that was about to take place.

"I know that you're scared." Lionel began in a calm voice.

"How would you know?" She thre up her hands as she stood. "Obviously you've been thinking about this for a while and then suddenly dump it in my lap and expect me to handle it well."

Lionel stood with her and resisted the urge to embrace her. "I'm not expecting anything. I just want to talk."

"Oh really, you're not expecting anything? I know you Lionel, you always expect something." Martha shot back. She was trying her best to remain calm but he had always had this effect on her.

"If you knew me so well, then you would know I would never do anything that would hurt you." Lionel defended himself.

She just glared at him, disbelief written on her face.

"You don't believe me." Lionel stated as he ran his hand through his hair.

"How can I?" Martha questioned. "The last time I believed you was when you said you loved me."

"I did. And let's not forget that _you_ left me for that…that _farmer_." He spat the word in disgust.

"That farmer loved me."

"And I didn't?"

"No you possessed me."

The words hung in the air as both stopped talking. Their voices had risen and the ensuing silence was deafening. Martha jumped when the front door opened and Clark stood there.


	7. Chapter 7

"Clark." Martha said in a shaky voice. _Oh God, if he heard us,_ Martha thought.

"What's going on?" Clark questioned.

"I told you earlier that I would explain everything later."

"Then explain." Clark said quietly with crossed arms.

Lionel smirked and Martha shot him an accusing stare. Now there was no way she could get out of telling Clark and it was all Lionel's fault.

"Have a seat; I have a feeling that you'll need it." Lionel remarked cheekily.

Martha sighed, gave Lionel a glare and sat down on the sofa next to Clark. Lionel took a seat in the wooden rocking chair.

"I know that this is going to be hard to accept but Lionel and I…" she faltered for a second before going on. "We knew each other in college."

"Oh don't be so modest." Lionel quipped from the rocking chair.

"Wait, you're not telling me that you two…" Clark let the question hang.

Martha swallowed the lump in her throat and licked her lips nervously. "Yes."

"Oh." Clark managed to get out. He was clearly shocked to find that his mom had been involved with Lionel.

"It was a long time ago." Martha defended quickly when she saw how upset Clark was.

"But I don't understand."

"You must be wondering how we managed to act like we didn't know each other all along." Lionel stated for him. "You're mother is one hell of an actress. I, on the other hand, had trouble keeping up the act."

"What else have you been 'acting' about?" Clark questioned harshly, his hurt causing him to lash out.

"Clark you have to believe me that I didn't want any of this." Martha cried in her defense. "I had no other choice."

"The truth would have been nice."


	8. Chapter 8

Martha looked at her son and saw how hurt he was. Her heart reached out for him that he had to discover this now after all these years.

"The truth?" Lionel cut in. "You couldn't have handled the truth, just look at how you're reacting now. No, I don't believe you would have wanted to hear the truth even if you knew it."

"Clark, please you have to understand why I didn't tell you, or anyone for that matter." Martha continued in her defense.

"Did Dad know?" Clark asked quietly, so quietly that Martha almost didn't hear him.

She answered almost as quietly as Clark. "No."

When Clark didn't say anything, Martha looked up and realized that Clark was looking at her with something close to distrust.

"You lied to him all this time? You've lied to everyone."

"Clark, it was better that no one knew; especially your father. Lionel and I came to a mutual agreement that we would pretend not to know one another. Don't you see how much pain it would have caused your dad?"

"But you worked for him. How could you pretend that you didn't know each other then?" Clark asked. He didn't hear Martha's last comment because he was too deep in his own thoughts.

"Even in private we never broke our agreement." Lionel explained. "Although it was very difficult for me, seeing as how much I'm in love with your mother."

Clark took a long pause, looked down at his hands and sighed. "I guess since you're telling me this it means that you two are together again."

Martha looked over to Lionel and saw the grin spread on his face.

"I don't know." She said slowly but added quickly, "Yet."

Clark seemed to come to a decision. "You're a grown woman, and I guess I'll have to respect your decision either way. But Mom, are you sure you know what you're getting into?"

Martha nodded. "It won't be the first time I've braved the Luthor waters."

Clark stood up. "Well, I'll leave you two alone now. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about. I'm heading over to the Talon to meet up with Chloe." He bent down and gave his mom a kiss on the cheek.

Once the door closed behind him Martha and Lionel looked at each other, silence falling like a thick blanket. Martha was the first to speak.

"We have to talk."


	9. Chapter 9

"Why did you leave me?" Lionel asked suddenly when the silence had stretched far too long.

Martha looked at him for a moment. "I couldn't stop thinking about Jonathon. From the moment I saw him I fell in love with him."

"You never told me that. One day, out of the blue, you tell me that you can't marry me; that you've found someone else. That's it, no other explanation."

"Oh Lionel, don't you see? If I had tried to explain, you would have done your best to talk me out of it. I just couldn't handle it."

"So what if I had managed to talk you into staying with me? Would it have been so bad?" Lionel questioned.

"I honestly don't know Lionel. Being with you was like being on an emotional roller coaster. One day you would be the romantic I fell in love with and then the next you would be a hardened cynic absolutely convinced that I was cheating on you."

"Martha you were helping me to be better."

"I was your girlfriend, not your therapist."

"Fiancé. You were my fiancé."

Martha had nothing to say so she remained silent.

"I just wish that things would have turned out differently." Lionel said heavily.

"I don't. I've had the perfect life with a man that truly loved me."

"_I_ loved you." Lionel practically shouted. "But then you had to go and throw it all away for a farmer."

"I didn't just throw it all away Lionel. I made a decision, one that you've obviously not been able to live with."

Lionel all but growled as he stood and towered over Martha. "You're the only one who can make me mad so fast. It makes me want to…" He didn't finish as he hauled her to her feet roughly.

"Lionel." Martha yelped.

"Oh shut up." Lionel said before his lips claimed hers.

* * *

**A little note here, Lionel's "shut up" is meant to be kind of endearing, so please don't take it like he's being mean. I laughed when I wrote it because it's just so Lionel to me. Anyhoo, hope you're enjoying the show so far, there's more to come...**


	10. Chapter 10

Martha melted. She felt the old flame of desire hit her and she deepened the kiss, knowing where this would lead if she let it. She pulled away, leaving only a breath between them. Lionel looked down at her with adoration and she felt thrilled by it. Here was one of the richest and most powerful men in the world and he would do anything for her.

"Now what?" He asked.

She shrugged, at a loss for words. What she really wanted to do was finish what they had just started but that was out of the question; at least until they figured out what they were going to do.

"I think we should start seeing each other again, publicly." Lionel offered.

"First we have to tell Lex."

Lionel smiled and this time it actually reached his eyes and Martha couldn't help but smile with him.

"You have no idea how much you mean to me Martha." Lionel commented before he placed a light kiss on her cheek. "You've made me the happiest man in the world. Now let's get this over with."

Walking out of the house, Martha was surprised that Lionel had actually driven himself. She looked at him in surprise; Lionel hated driving. He said that it lowered one's status to drive when they could hire someone else to do it for them.

"You're worth it," Lionel explained.

Once they arrived at the mansion, they were escorted to the study where Lex was currently working on his laptop behind his desk. He stood to greet them and soon all three had drinks in their hands.

"To what do I owe this honor?" Lex said, half-jokingly half-serious. "No wait, let me guess. You two are dating." At Lionel and Martha's surprised looks, Lex continued. "It's not a big shock. Dad's had it out for you for years now. I'm just surprised it took this long." Lex finished a little smugly.

Martha smiled slightly. "I'm afraid you're only partially correct."

Lex raised his eyebrows.

"We are dating, but this isn't the first time. Your father's actually been 'after me' since I broke off our engagement in college."


	11. Chapter 11

"Now that is a surprise, even for you Dad."

Martha and Lionel waited for Lex to take it in. Lionel, especially, enjoyed the shocked look on Lex's face. It was brief but sweet nonetheless.

"Did Mom know?"

"Not at first, but I told her, yes." Lionel answered. "It was hard to hide my feelings for Martha. Your mother would have eventually figured it out."

"Lex, please don't be angry." Martha added when she saw the hurt flash across Lex's face.

"I can't say that I'm happy you lied to me all these years." Lex said and then took a breath. He walked a few steps and turned towards them. "Why lie? You two shouldn't have to be ashamed that you fell in love."

Martha took a steadying breath. "Well Lex, that's a little complicated."

"I'm a fast learner."

"Alright son, if you must know Martha and I made a deal. In exchange for my silence about our relationship, she would keep one of my more sordid secrets."

Lex lifted his eyebrows. "There's a lot to choose from Dad. Which one was it?"

Martha looked at Lionel and he nodded his head.

"It's alright, the world already knows my secret."

Martha took a slight sip of her drink. "Before I broke of the engagement I found out that Lionel had been involved in the death of his parents. So I used that as a way to ensure his silence."

The younger Luthor looked shocked. "Bravo Mrs. Kent. You've managed to blackmail my father successfully for the past few decades." Lex raised his glass in a mock toast.

"It's not something that I'm proud of." Martha said quietly.

"I didn't think it was possible, but I think my respect for you just got higher. It's not everyday someone can say no to what my father offers."

"You make me sound so deceitful." Martha said.

"No just stating the facts as I see them." Lex pointed out. "Does Clark know?"

Martha nodded. "He found out earlier today, right before we came over here. We wanted you to find out from us rather than reading it in some newspaper."

"Thanks for the consideration."Lex said dryly. "The big question is how did he take it?"

"Rather well." Lionel spoke up. "He gave us his blessing as a matter of fact."

Lex laughed. "Is that what you came here for; to ask for my blessing?"

"Not exactly. Martha thought it best to get everything out in the open."

Lex looked at Martha and suddenly became very serious. "I'm only saying this because I genuinely care about you. Are you sure you want to get involved with my father again?"

Martha kept Lex's gaze evenly when she answered, "Yes. I know that it's a bit unorthodox, but we can make it work."

Lionel had listened with growing anger as Lex blatantly tried to dissuade Martha from getting involved with him yet again. But when she answered with such honesty, he couldn't help but be happy.

Lex raised his glass in a real toast this time. "To the happy new couple."

* * *

**There you are, my little sordid tale of the early Mionel years. Whew! I've been wanting to get that written forever. Thanks for all the reviews!**


End file.
